Southern California -- this just in

Dodger fan was beaten as pregnant girlfriend watched in shock

May 21, 2012 | 11:32
am

A pregnant woman who was taken to the hospital as a precaution following an altercation Sunday in the Dodger Stadium parking lot was seen by doctors but had not suffered any physical injuries and was released, Los Angeles police said.

The woman, who was not identified, was sitting in the passenger seat of a Chevrolet Impala in line to exit the stadium Sunday afternoon when it became involved in a fender bender with a Toyota Camry.

The Dodger fan accompanying his pregnant girlfriend believed that the Camry had backed into his Impala. The other fan thought his Camry had been hit.

The disagreement escalated into words and then a one-on-one fisticuffs before three friends of the one of the combatants joined in the melee and began pummeling the Impala driver.

He suffered cuts and bruises. LAPD officers quickly responded to the scene and eventually arrested the four men. Sources familiar with the investigation said among the group who were booked, some had a record of minor arrests but they were not gang members.

The woman was taken to County USC Medical Center as a precaution because her boyfriend was already being taken there. Police said she was in shock during the fight. Police described her as a witness but said she was in no way involved in the physical alteration.

LAPD Capt. Bill Murphy said the arrests marked the first reported incident of violent crime at Dodger Stadium since opening day. He noted that the response was quicker than in past incidents due to more advanced tactical planning and additional officers.

“In a Dodger season there are 81 games, they will draw 3 million people and on any given day they can have a sellout with 56,000 people. I don’t believe that any law enforcement agency or any professional sports team could guarantee there would never be any type of incident with those types of numbers,” Murphy said.

But he noted that given that reality, the LAPD and Dodgers plan carefully for contingencies. “Every night there is an event action plan that they will incorporate. The philosophy is preventative action dealing with the problem up front, not later.”